Andrea Gardner
2022
Anchorage, AK
AJ Dimond High School
![Andrea Gardner](/sites/www/files/styles/unsung_hero/public/2022-09/UH_Gardner_AK.jpg.webp?itok=HDjmq7x5)
Gardner’s innovative teaching idea, “Providing Pianos Project,” reflects her ideas of adding a piano “keyboarding” class to the school’s elective offerings in order to accommodate the increasing number of students wanting to enroll in music classes and their expressed desire to specifically learn piano. This additional class will not only provide 35 more seats in an elective class, per semester for years to come, but will also relieve the large class sizes other music elective teachers are facing. Gardner believes offering an elective that students are passionate about will engage more of them and make a difference in their lives through music. The Voya Unsung Heroes grant will help pay for new keyboards.